Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-25

ucal members Ut the party. lt Is proposed to CIV
barge party every other Friday night, alternate
/ Ing With the regular hops
| THE ALEXANDRIA REGATTA
The time for closing the list of entries has been
extended from June 25 to July /. LitJrell of the
Rappahannocks, is rowing twice day, and prom
The gig crew Of the virginia Boat Club, Of Rich.
mond, Will be as follows: Rudolph PeytOn, stroke;
W. "; F.. Broadax, 3: VIM Nelson. 2; W; g. Watson
weight is 154 pounds. This crew is considered q
fast one, and wlll probably be the principal COM
ming crew in the State gig Will enter the open
| gig race against the Columbiaa
Of the na whcS IL
to-day.
The races Will commence at 2:ao pm., and there
Will be one every haf-hOur until 80 in the eve
ming. They will be arranged SO as to allow as
long time as possible between the junior ana
same ep ana dnie ea anu senior iour as
The University School Club of Petersburg, have
entered crew In the State gig race. in addition
10 the Firgfnias, OF Richmond, and Old DOmintonS,
or Alexandria.
Hazard, OF the Rappahannocks, of Fredericksburg,
or Beach viii represent the old Dominions.
The Analostan barge will attend the regatta
with members and guests OF the club.
The Archers.
As stated In THE STAR OF last Saturday, the Poto-
| mac Archers are arranging for the forthcoming
meet In this city of the National Association of
more definite idea of the sport THE STAR will give
few OF The technica1ties. The targets round,
| As inches In diameter, and divided into "gOld,"
| or center, SO inches In diameter, surrounded by
rings OF red, blue, black, and white, each 4.S
Inches wide. A hit in the gold counts s.; red, z;
archer mad, ten him he has ahit the bulrs eye"
when he says he has 'scored a gold"
The targets must measure at the center height
OF feet from the ground. Each archer steps in
'front.' OF the target, at whatever distance he may
be go to 100 yards shoots three arrows, and steps
back until all others shooting at the target have
shot as many, when the first archer shoots three
arrows more. When all have shot six arrows the
scorer and one archer advance to the target score
each arrow to Its owner, and then withdraw 1t
from the target. Each archer has his arrows
painted in peculiar manner and marked with
his name. Archers generally carry an extra
arrow or two to provide for loss or breakage. The
Potomacs, In their contests, generally suspend the
rules SO that two or more archers may shoot at
scores fall behind their neighbOrs, although to
persons unused to such practice the confusion in
cldent 10 the shooting Of other archers is apt to
The highest possible score at the American
round, 80 arrows, Is So The highest score ever
known TO be made is a little over 6OO Mr.. Maxson
mas made several scores above $40. An archer
who habitually passes $50 may be counted among
the nrsI dozen shooters OF the bow in America.
All archerS aim to draw the arrow to the head
WneIher shooting long or short distance. The
better shots all draw the arrow to the chin, so it
gives greater power, but less accuracy
Gentlemen shoot bows 'weighted" according to
their strength. That is If the bow be suspended
horizontally Dy Its handle, and a weight hung to
the string heavy enough to pull down the string a
distance equal to the length OF an arrow, that
weight will be said TO be the weight Of the bow
Bows are generally weighed" with spring bal.
ance. Mr.. MaxsOn shoots q 46-pOund bow To
SHOOT one hundred arrows is, therefore, equal to
putting up 46-pOund dumb-bell one hundred
Times heavy arrow from such bow would 90
clear through man, but the arrows can be seen
In thelr flight, 1t Is easy to avoid accidents with
reasonable care. Most OF the gentlemen shoot
oows OF 40 pounds or less. The ladies shoot bows
weighted at 20 TO % pounds. Gentemens arrows
are usually % and ladies' % inches in length
Ladies' arrows weigh about q or an ounce: mems
arrows nearly twice as much. Few good bows
and archers bewa1 the fact that their best arrows
must be imported at a cost OF nearly dollar EACH
Maurice thompson quotes his indian guide as
saying ANY SUCK good bOw-gOOd arrow dam heaD
work; and archers generally agree that no really
hne shooting can be done with anything but the
times costs as high as $75 although fair bow can
be had for tenth OF the money. No timber is
at all equal to yew for bows. Perhaps the near
woody as 1t was called by the early French SET
| tiers in America Hickory makes a poor bow
| cedar IS much better, but not durable A comb.
nation OF hickory and yew does We'll
While the strong archer by reason OF the fat
trajectory OF his arrows has an advantage in shoot
Ing. that advantage is not great as would be at
nrst supposed. Mrs. Bartlett, who is very small
woman and shoots 24-pOund how has repeated
" made scores at the gentlemens ranges, which
very rev OF the gentlemen ever equal, Great
regularity and elaboration of movement are
necessary for nne shooting. The quick archer is
SELDOM pronclent before the target. In hunting
however, the system Of shooting is Changed and
the bowman draws his arrow to the ear Shooting
without aim, but by ''sense OF direction" as he
would throw a stone. Nothing but the most per-
siStent practice will make good shot in this Way
while In shooting by aim" a beginner may reach
| the top OF the list in a season. Indeed the cham
pionship OF the National Association was taken
one year by an archer (Mr. Il. S. TAYLOR or
Chicago) who three months before had never shot
an arrow.
1t is sometimes asked, how would the shooting
or archerS who shoot for sport compare with thai
| OF the Indians. The conditions are quite unlike
and comparisons arc difficult. The Indian seldom
shoots more than 20 or 30 fee either at game or to
bag the brilliant but elusive nickel" At such
distances he would beat our archers out or sight
AT 30 or TO yards, shooting deliberately, the civil
lied bowman would probably be slightly ahead
Ii compelled to shoot quickly the abOrigine would
do as well as usual, while the sporting archer be-
| ing out OF his element, would make a poor show
Ing. To put half the arrows in the size OF mans
hat at 40 yards Is considered good shooting by the
| best archerS OF the Potomac club.
number OF books on archery have been pub
llsned, but with the exception OF "Fords Archery"
who would shoot to best advantage as they teach
drawing the arrow to the ear.
Ford was an English clergyman who became
! enamored OF the sport, and made study OF it. He
soon made nearly double the scores which had
been made by any English archer from 1900 to
1865. Others adopted his system and reached
nearly, but not quite, TO Ford'S proficiency Owing
In his hands and was unable to shoot, and becOm-
Ing disguised tried TO suppress his little book on
archery he died only two or three years ago.
| Hon. Maurice Thompson, the soldier sportsman
ana author, who did more than any one else to re-
we DOW-shOOt1ng as paStime in this country
taught some about shooting in his interest.
| Ing and enjoyable little work, '"The Witchery OF
Archery" and in his series of papers in sScrip-
ner'5." He had not then read FOrd'S treatise and
a ai ADOPTED and recommended Ford's sys-
TEN Tor target shooting.